Spartans will take a look at freshman QB Tyler O'Connor in fall camp, but prefer not to use their third-stringer in 2012

EAST LANSING — If the questions about quarterbacks Andrew Maxwell and Connor Cook feel far from answered entering this Michigan State football season — as coach Mark Dantonio acknowledged this week — what if one or both were to suffer injuries at any point?

The Spartans' almost certain third-stringer, Lima (Ohio) Catholic Central's Tyler O'Connor, is yet to ever take a snap in college ... even in practice.

Dantonio said this week that he'd like to redshirt O'Connor, as the Spartans "always" try to do with true freshman quarterbacks. But he also recognizes the math.

"I think he's extremely talented. We'll have three quarterbacks on scholarship and obviously he's one of them," Dantonio said Wednesday at Michigan State's Skandalaris Football Center. "So we're going to get him the reps to see where he's at."

"It's a great honor. That accolade means something," Dantonio said. "You get some great players playing in that game. To me it means he played pretty consistently from what I heard and he had pretty good leadership skills in the game. He's a good athlete. He was in our camp, so we've watched him play in games and stuff. A good athlete and good player."